What is Sea Kelp Extract?

Ascophyllum nodosum: A cold water species of brown algae, otherwise known as Sea Kelp. Typically found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is mainly found around coastal areas, and its habitat is widespread. Using manageable harvesting methods, this natural resource can be sustained and renewable.

Ancient Organic Plant Nutrients

Sea Kelp has been used for millennia as a powerful natural plant food. Agricultural lands along coastlines incorporated seaweeds as both a source of organic matter and a fertilizer to benefit various soil types, fruit and vegetable crops. Sea Kelp is naturally abundant , and has a long history of use in agriculture. Modern extracts of this beneficial organic amendment offer numerous ways to naturally fuel plant performance.

Why is Sea Kelp Good For Plants?

Sea Kelp is a powerful Plant Biostimulant. When used as a Biostimulant, there are various ‘modes of action’ that are used. ‘Modes of action’ are changes in plant function that occur at the cellular level. The beneficial components naturally contained in Kelp are what work with plants and living soils to boost overall production and health.

Sea Kelp Extracts are beneficial to Soil, Foliar, and Seed treatments; as well as in hydroponic systems. With over 70 trace macro and micronutrients, hormones, carbohydrates, minerals, and proteins; Sea Kelp gives your plants an organic complement of powerful plant growth and health stimulants.

Sea Kelp Extract Benefits

Improves Germination, Rooting, and Early Plant Development
Enhances Plant Vigor, Performance, and Yields
Promotes Earlier Flowering, Fruit Set, and Fruit Quality
Energizes and Feeds Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)
Improves Soil Texture, Aeration, and Water Holding Capacity
Reduces Plant Stress (Abiotic and Biotic)

How Does Sea Kelp Extract Benefit Plants?

Germination and Plant Establishment

The early stages of seed germination and plant development are critical to overall plant success. Sea Kelp contains valuable hormones, carbohydrates, and nutrients that assist in establishing plants, and creating the conditions for root growth and development.

Cytokinins, auxins, and gibberellins are hormones that are present in sea kelp, and work to regulate processes that improve plant establishment, lateral root growth, and plant biomass. These work at the cellular level and allow for increased seed germination, and plant propagation success when applied directly to seeds, roots, or as a foliar treatment.

Alginate is a carbohydrate, not found in terrestrial plants, that improves rooting and plant performance in many ways. It forms gel type compounds that stimulates Mycorrhizal growth and hyphal formation. Hyphae are the ‘strands’ that form the body of mycorrhizal fungi, and extends the reach of plant roots to gain increased supplies of water and nutrients.

Plant Performance and Yields

Sea Kelp Extracts have direct plant growth benefits. With the presence of over 70 macro and micronutrients and minerals, Sea Kelp acts as a Biofertilizer to feed plants.

Plant growth hormones (Auxins, Cytokinins) increase nutrient use efficiency, or the transport, cycling, and uptake of nutrients. This directly increases root mass, shoot height, total biomass, and number of leaves; as well as reduced transplant shock.

The enhanced absorption of nutrients and minerals affected by these powerful compounds gives you increased plant growth, vigor, and yields; with the added benefit of reduced fertilizer use.

Flowering, Fruiting, and Nutrition

Photosynthesis and Chlorophyll content are improved when plants are treated with Sea Kelp Extracts. Betaines are an amino acid that reduce the degradation of chlorophyll content in plants. This holds benefits in regulating the flowering and fruiting mechanism in plants. As well as increasing the shelf life and nutritional content of harvested fruits and vegetables.

Plant hormones, Betaines, and Alginate, which is a mineral and nutrient chelator, have been cited to increase mineral absorption, and regulate plant growth processes which induces earlier flowering, fruiting, and improves the quality of crops.

Beneficial Bacteria

A living, healthy soil is alive with billions of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). These beneficials act in direct and indirect ways to increase plant growth and health. They work synergistically with plants, and through the release of chemicals and hormones elicit plant growth and health benefits.

Sea Kelp Extracts, and their array of nutrients and carbohydrates, energize and feed these PGPR which allows them to multiply and benefit plants and maintain healthy soils. The root zone, or rhizosphere, is the area that holds the most abundant quantity of PGPR. With a strong food and energy source, these bacteria are unleashed to do the work to protect and promote plant health and growth.

Soil Conditioner

Sea Kelp Extract helps to improve soil health, soil structure, aeration, moisture retention, and robust populations of beneficial bacteria.

A potent soil conditioner, Kelp benefits soils with the presence of compounds like Alginates and other carbohydrates. The ‘gelling’ effect of Alginate increases water holding capacity, and microbial activity. Also a powerful chelator, Alginate and other compounds chelate metallic ions, which improves soil structure/tilth, and helps to boost nutrient uptake to plants.

Plant Stress Tolerance

Protection against both pathogens and environmental factors are an important aspect to amending your grow with Kelp Extracts. The wide array of natural chemical components in Sea Kelp assist plants in defending against these plant killers.

Abiotic stressors such as heat, cold, drought, and salinity effect all plants. Compounds such as betaines protect against drought and salinity. Antioxidants and hormones all play a role in protecting plants. Through the release of enzymes and reactions of these compounds, stress tolerance is improved. This results in increases in survival and growth in plants.

Biotic stresses (Bacterial, Fungal, Insecticidal) are also affected by compounds that are released by Sea Kelp Extracts. The compounds released send signals to plants to activate their defenses and protect against these threats. Plants release other compounds for protection, or in some cases to elicit a response from beneficial bacteria and fungi to attack the pathogen. Foliar applications of Kelp extracts have been shown to be effective as a pest deterrent as well.

Simplify The Science

Sea Kelp Extract Is A Biodynamic Complement To Your Plants Success

Sea Kelp Extract has been used by growers for a long time. And with ever increasing research and knowledge of its many attributes, it will continue to be a valuable amendment to unleash on your plants.

Green Eden’s supercharged biostimulants and mycorrhizal compounds contain Sea Kelp Extract for good reason.

It naturally benefits plants and soils in multiple ways.

And together with the combination of core ingredients contained in GreenEden Inoculants, gives you a solution to stunning yields and healthy plants.

Sea Kelp Extract 101